I had a really great day at Pier 40 today...   volunteered from 9 until 3:30.  There were just all sorts of little things going on that I as able to snap timely pics of, which made for an interesting photoset.

The dock has become a breeding ground for little minnows (we think, we're not sure).  There are thousands of these suckers in the water.

Rock, paper, scissors to figure out who goes on the last remaining single and who has to wait.

Kevin bringing me a sandwich from the free food being given out at the end of the pier by the high school kids' photography club.

These have seen better days.

I absolutely love the opportunities this blog and nextNY have afforded me to meet lots of interesting and passionate people in NYC.

The problem is, I never have time to meet all of them... and when I do, it seems to be all of them at once, and I can't sit down for more than two minutes at a time with someone.

....except during the summer, where I aften spend endless amounts of time completely available to anyone...   anyone who'd like to go kayaking anyway.  (Or if you just want to hangout by the water, but that's no fun...)

Yup, kayaking season is starting again at the Downtown Boathouse this Saturday.  We have three locations:  Pier 40 (by Houston St.), Pier 96 (W56th St) and 72nd St. in Riverside Park.

This summer, I'll be manning the one down at Pier 40 almost every Saturday, and most Sundays, too.    We open at 9AM and the last boat generally goes out at 5:30, but since we're all volunteers, that's sort of flexible.   This Saturday, though, I'll be out there at 9AM sharp if anyone would like to go for a paddle or just hang around the dock.  I'll probably stay until 3PM.

So if you want to talk shop, talk kayaking, talk about the Mets, or just say hi, you're welcome to come by anytime!

Check this out... timeoutnewyork.tv is using one of my kayaking photos for their website this week.  Nice!

Last year, I broke two Treo 650's, and got my camera stolen.  Today, I sunk to a level of idiocy I am capable of, thankfully, ever so rarely.  We opened up at Pier 40 today and it got pretty choppy in the afternoon.  I had my Fisher C-1 in my pocket and decided to go out for a paddle.  I was on a high sit on top boat that kept me pretty dry.  However, I decided it would be a good idea to try and actually land the boat on the dock by catching a wave. 

Not smart.

I got about 3 feet up on the dock and just hung there for a moment before it capsized.  I immediately realized my camera was in the water and pulled it up and out as soon as I could, ignoring the boat, which got swept under Pier 40.  The camera was fried and the boat lost in the depths beneath the pier.  Not all was lost though.  I was able to scoot underneath the pier and retrieve the boat with a tow rope.

Also, more importantly to me, the Flash card was ok, too, so I didn't lose the pics I had taken.

So, anyone have any suggestions as to what camera I should buy?   I guess I want 6+ MP, small, very good video and I'm somewhat price sensitive.  If anyone has links to pics they took with a specific camera, and videos, please post them and the name of the camera.  Thanks!

When we moved from Pier 26 due to the renovation (total destruction) project that leveled the Downtown Boathouse, we moved most of our stuff up to the shiny new boathouse at Pier 96 at 56th Street.  We didn't move everything there, though, and we still wanted to maintain a downtown presence if we could.  So, we rented some space at the south end of Pier 40 (at Houston St.), but it took almost all summer to get the right permits to put a dock in.

Finally, this Saturday morning, the Downtown Boathouse will open up the Pier 40 location and make its triumphant, if not a little disorganized, return to downtown.  You have to walk down the pier a little ways on the south side to see us.  We don't have as many boats there as we used to at Pier 26, and all of our trips will still run out of Pier 96.  But if you're used to dropping by on us at Pier 26 because it was close by, come see us on Saturday to see what we're up to.  Even better, come help out!  I'll be there from 9-5:30, but the closer you come to either end, the more you risk that we'll either be just getting organized or closing early because no one showed.  :(     Hope to see you there!

I finished 3rd out of 80+ kayaks that competed in our annual race yesterday.  Here are some pics.  I also have video of the presentation, too:

Not having my own kayak, I had to secure one of the DTBH deck boats early in the morning.

This is after already finished... I paddled back a little to make sure the rest of the kayakers were safe by the pier.  Looks like some of them went under.

When we were done, we had a BBQ up by 72nd street, which meant we all had to park somewhere. 

I'll be down at the Downtown Boathouse tonight from 5- close, which is usally around 7:30ish.   It a great way to end your week if you're on the West Side.